Lawton City Council Discusses Deficit Plan

2013-05-24T23:09:51Z2013-05-31T15:21:14Z

LAWTON Okla_ For the second
time in three days, the Lawton City Council met to tackle the problem of an $8M
deficit in next year's budget.

All members agree cuts have to be made, and utility bills will have to go
up, but they are disagreeing on who and what has to take the hit. After two hours of discussion, the council
was only able to come to one conclusion: they need more time.

Taking into
account Wednesday's meeting, City Manager Bryan Long brought three scenarios in
front of the council. Each of them involved adjusting the budget in a different
way.

From the looks
of it, everyone from citizens, city workers, and city organizations will likely
take a hit financially in the next fiscal year. Now, it's just a matter of how
much.

Each idea on
how to make cuts is a piece to a puzzle that the council is desperately trying
to put together. So how did the City of Lawton
get into this mess? Long said it's been
the perfect storm: a drop in revenue due to water rationing and a decrease in
the type of sales tax that finds its way into the general fund. He said it has
nothing to do with the 2nd Street
Project.

"As it
exists Friday, there is funding set aside that has been loaned by a bank,"
Long said.

He said it is
completely different from the general fund, which is lacking funds. They are funds
that have to be made up. So, it's safe to say your water bill will be going up
by 10%. That's a change that would remain permanently.

"The truth
is the City of Lawton,
over a period of years, has failed to raise its utility rates," Long said. "That's
caused inconvenience for us all."

A public safety
surcharge will also likely be added to your water bill.

"That is
not a tax," Long said. "It's a surcharge for service being provided. It would
go to offset the expenses whether it be personnel expenses, equipment, or
both."

Another good
possibility is a reduction in force, as two of the three scenarios include the
idea of cutting city workers; anywhere between 50 and 75 of them.

Fire and police
are the only workers excluded. The RIF would also
include eliminating already-vacant positions.

Remember, these
are all just possibilities; a part of a mathematical formula the council
"will" have to solve.

"It's a very difficult task to be able to
go in to a budget like ours and figure out who can do without," Long said. "You
can always make a case that nobody can."

Trash pick-up
could also be reduced from twice per week to once per week. Another interesting
idea is eliminating the council members' and mayor's salaries. Each council
member makes $5,000. The mayor gets $15,000. That's something most of them,
including Mayor Fitch, seemed okay with.

The council
wants your input on the scenarios. They will have a public forum where you can
voice your concerns Tuesday night at 6:00 PM. The forum will be held at City Hall.

Trump's remarks Tuesday amounted to a rejection of the Republicans, business leaders and White House advisers who earlier this week had pushed the president to more forcefully and specifically condemn the KKK members, neo-Nazis and white supremacists who took to the streets of Charlottesville.

Trump's remarks Tuesday amounted to a rejection of the Republicans, business leaders and White House advisers who earlier this week had pushed the president to more forcefully and specifically condemn the KKK members, neo-Nazis and white supremacists who took to the streets of Charlottesville.